Ive got it animating but not showing the view as it travels through the hollow boxes. What did I get wrong?
HI Darryl. You need to orientate the camera correctly at the start of the path. What I would suggest is, using normal views (worldplan etc (NOT the camera view)), put the camera at the start of the path, and rotate it so that its +z direction is exactly in line with the path. Next record a single Keyframe for the camera at frame '0'. This will force the camera to orientate correctly before your animation starts.
Basically what is happening now, is, the camera is following the path correctly, but based on its initial orientation, Follow-by-path only orientates an object from its initial state as the path bends. it doesn't set the start orientation of the object, that's up to the user
Has anyone ever created a light object that represents something like a torch, where the torch can be used in an animation as lighting. I could use maybe many luminance object within the ship design but just dont enough about that yet.
A few ways to do this. My first preference would be to use a second path, make a copy of the path and move it upwards or downwards a bit, like holding a torch in ones hand, and create a small objects like a sphere, with luminance and move that along the second path. Basically, the camera is ones eye (in perspective mode), if you had a torch and held at against ones eye, you wouldn't see anything, same with AL. My preference for a second path, is that one could slightly vary the objects path, independent of the camera, if one was not satisfied with the animation.
Alternatives. - using the same path as the camera. The first alternative would be have the object orientated correctly on the path, then move it above the path. Pick up the ref point, and put the reference point at the start on the path. Follow-by-path moves the ref point, so the object will stay whatever fixed distance away from the camera as you have put it. This is pretty much exactly the same as a 'head torch' would be if you always looked dead straight ahead, and moved your head rather than your eyes.
Another alternative would be to play around with the object luminance tick box 'load for luminance only'. In theory this should allow placing the object at the same start point as the camera, but the camera will not see the object, only the luminance emanating from it. I say in theory, as I've had mixed results with sometimes the luminance not showing correctly, But I am using RedSDK so maybe lightworks is better.
Andy
## Edit ##. Using normal lights instead of Luminance, Much easier but with slightly less control over some settings
Although my preference would be luminance, you can get a similar effect from standard lights. In design director, click the word lights (in the top half of DD), right click and choose properties, in the dialog, click Reset default). close dialog, in DD, turn off all lights except Headlight, In DD, click the headlight colour and set it to, say , value = 30. click ok. Turn on spot light, and set visibility. Place and orientate the spotlight at the start of the spline, check in draft render it looks ok. In AL, make the spotlight an actor and copy / paste the command from the camera onto the light.
Back in TC select the spotlight, right click - properties, and play around. Try something like Fall-off = Linear, Light Power = 5, Cone = 20, Umbra = 2. but its trial and error to see what looks OK, as lighting in draft render will look different to quality (in draft render power may need to 100), so depends on what mode one is testing in. (Obviously quality render will be slow). And obviously without materials the 'shinyness' of the light an object will be far different than with materials.
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Andy
